Abbreviated and enhanced dialing apparatus and methods particularly adapted for cellular or other types of telephone systems

ABSTRACT

An abbreviated dialing apparatus especially suitable for cellular/mobile phone use, enabling a user to dial telephone numbers having repetitive digits without directly dialing all of the repetitive digits. The user, by executing a prescribed actuation of a prescribed key, such as the SEND key, can cause the system to complete an incomplete telephone number having repetitive finishing zeroes or other repetitive finishing digits, instead of directly dialing all of the repetitive digits. By determining whether a call is local or long distance, the apparatus determines the number of digits necessary to properly complete a telephone number and completes the number by filling in any missing finishing digits. Alternatively, the user by actuating a finish digit key or a finish zero key can cause the system to similarly fill in any missing finishing digits to complete an incomplete telephone number.

The subject matter of this application is related to the following fivedisclosure documents:

1. Telephone Key-pad Dial-out Enhancement systems-Dial--out of aRepetitive Digit by a Single Key-Stroke Actuation. No. 197,095 Jul. 18,1988

2. Long-Distance Phone Number Dialing Enhancement. No. 199,250 Aug. 15,1988

3. Abbreviated & Enhanced Dialing Systems for Cellular & other typephones. No. 210,433 Sep. 16, 1988

4. Abbreviated Voice Response Dialing. No. 240,049 Nov. 24, 1989

5. Abbreviated & Enhanced Dialing Apparatus & Methods ParticularlyAdapted for Cellular or other types of Telephone Systems. No. 241,160Dec. 5, 1989

In addition, this application is related to a pending application filedby the applicant in the U.S. Patent office on Mar. 5, 1990, Ser. No.07/491,933, entitled AUTOMATIC AREA CODE DIALING APPARATUS AND METHODSPARTICULARLY ADAPTED FOR CELLULAR OR OTHER TYPES OF TELEPHONE SYSTEMS.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to telephone dialing apparatus and moreparticularly to an abbreviated enhanced dialing apparatus and a methodof dialing which is particularly adaptable for cellular telephonesystems.

Over the past years great strides have been made in implementing therapid dialing of telephone numbers. Thus, as one will understand,present modern systems utilize a dialing keypad consisting of a seriesof momentary operated dialing keys or switches. In conjunction with thekeypad the telephone subset may incorporate either touch tone or pulsedialing to enable a rapid dialing sequence. Many telephone subsets alsoinclude memory systems whereby one can dial a telephone number byaccessing separate memory keys or accessing a memory location via thekeypad.

A prior-art search revealed numerous speed-dialing patents of this(memory-system oriented) type. The following is a listing of thesepatents:

    ______________________________________                                        No.     Date     Title                                                        ______________________________________                                        4,103,115                                                                             7/25/78  MEMORY TONE DIALER                                           4,277,651                                                                             7/7/81   TELEPHONE DIALER                                             4,473,720                                                                             9/25/84  AUTOMATIC DIALER FOR TELE-                                                    PHONE NUMBERS WITH                                                            PORTABLE MODULE                                              4,682,357                                                                             7/21/87  AUTOMOBILE TELEPHONE                                                          APPARATUS                                                    4,723,265                                                                             2/2/88   ABBREVIATED DIALER WITH                                                       REDUCED KEY OPERATION                                        4,736,410                                                                             4/5/88   TELEPHONE EQUIPMENT FOR                                                       REDUCED KEY OPERATION                                        4,764,951                                                                             8/16/88  AUTO DIALER FOR USE WITH                                                      TELECOPIERS OR THE LIKE                                      4,885,762                                                                             12/5/89  TELEPHONE APPARATUS                                          ______________________________________                                    

Thus, the prior art is cognizant of various techniques to enableenhanced abbreviated dialing by a telephone user. However, the prior artdoes not disclose or anticipate anything except memory-system treatmentsand methods for prestoring telephone numbers under selective usercontrol for later selective recall, whereas the instant invention dealswith enhanced abbreviated dialing of non-preprogrammed telephone numbersthrough the use of traditional system dialing resources, withoutforethought or prior user action, and with no "permanent" or"preprogrammed" storage.

It is understood, of course, that any technique which enables fasterdialing will enhance the operation of telephone systems, but inparticular regard to cellular phone systems, the process of dialing isextremely hazardous. There have been many articles written whichdescribe the hazards imposed by dialing on a cellular system whilemanipulating an automobile, and it is thus obvious that any improvementor enhancement of the dialing procedure will be particularlyadvantageous and valuable in connection with cellular phones.

The apparatus and methods to be described enable abbreviated andenhanced dialing of many telephone numbers, reducing the number ofrequired key actuations by the user according to the format of thetelephone number.

The method and apparatus depend upon particular digits of the telephonenumber being the same and being repetitive. In this manner, one can dialcertain telephone numbers rapidly utilizing the system to be described.The principle feature of the present invention is that successivelyrepeated digits are keyed in by the dialing user one time only. Forexample, an existing phone number may end with the digit zero repeatingfour times as for example "0000," and in a conventional dialingprocedure the key indicative of zero would be actuated a commensuratenumber of times in succession (four in the above example).

As one can understand, such multiple actuations may result in manyerrors, not to mention additional wear and tear on the keypad assemblyassociated with the telephone. Thus, this invention has uniform andcharacteristic advantages in the case of telephone numbers which finishor end in the particular digit repeated several times, since iteliminates the requirement of a user having to repeatedly actuate thesame digit key. In regard to one aspect of this invention, the user willactuate the digit key only once upon reaching the repetitive digit,after which the system will automatically repeat dial the repetitivedigit as many times as necessary to complete a valid telephone number.

As one can understand, the main object of the invention is toadvantageously utilize the characteristics of the many telephone numbershaving a single digit repeated one or more times, as both a finishingdigit or elsewhere in the telephone number. This phenomenon isespecially prevalent with the digit zero, and many important telephonenumbers such as those for corporations, law firms and other businessesend in a number of zeros. Some examples of this would be "1000," "8800,""0000," and so on. Apart from this, certain other telephone numbers endin repeated non-zero digits such as "5555," "7666," and so on. Numerousadditional examples are readily available by accessing conventionaltelephone directories.

Thus, this feature of the instant invention will enable a user toautomatically dial these successively repeating digits by keying in thedigit only once. For example, in a phone number ending with the digit"5" repeating four times, a conventional dialing procedure would callfor the "5" digit key to be activated four times in succession. However,in the invention the user will need only activate the number "5" digitkey once, and then further indicate that it is a repeat digit. As willbe explained, this operation can be implemented in a conventional systemby a prescribed actuation procedure of the repeat digit key, orunconventionally by means of separate keys such as a finish zero key anda finish final digit key. In the case of phone numbers ending withrepetitive zeros, the user will merely actuate a finish zero key tocause the completion of the number with zeroes. For numbers ending inrepetitive digits other than zero, the user will first access therepetitive digit key once, then actuate the finish digit key to completethe number with copies of the repetitive digit.

Alternatively, in a store & forward system (including most cellularsystems), actuation of the SEND key could automatically cause the numberto be completed in either form; by filling in the finishing digitseither with zeros or with the final digit keyed-in, depending upon whichmethod of the invention is utilized. As will be explained, upon the useractivating the SEND key, the system will recognize the last digitentered, and further recognize that in order to constitute a validtelephone number, additional digits must be added to those alreadykeyed. The system of the invention would then proceed to transmit themanually dialed digits over the cellular network, afterwardautomatically filling in the requisite repetitive digit the requirednumber of times to create a valid telephone number.

As one will readily understand from the following descriptions, it is amain feature of the instant invention to enable a user to performabbreviated dialing of any successive repetitive digits associated witha telephone number. In this manner both the cellular users and othertelephone users will be able to perform dialing more rapidly. It is alsoindicated here that the abbreviated dialing system to be described canbe utilized in any typical telephone system, whether touch-tone, rotary,or pulse.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INVENTION

According to the abbreviated dialing concept as described above,multiple copies of any digit can be generated consecutively by only asingle digit key actuation, instead of requiring sequential multiple keyactuations as in conventional dialing. By utilizing such an approach,many benefits are achieved. First, the user does not have to repeatedlydial identical finishing digits or triple repeating digits, reducing theprobability of wrong numbers, since a one time actuation of a key isfundamentally more positive and reliable than multiple actuations. Also,in this manner, the abbreviated dialing system will save and conservethe life of a keypad.

In regard to cellular applications, it is also immediately apparent thatdue to the decrease in the number of digit entries and the correspondingincrease in the speed of dialing, the probability of road accidentswhile dialing is proportionally reduced.

DIALING BY DIGIT CATEGORY GROUPS

A novel category segmented-dialing approach is set forth which treats aphone number not as a composite of a series of unrelated digits, butrather as a segmented numeric entity comprised of several possible digitcategories, to wit:

a) a Multiple Successive Repetition of a digit,

b) a Multiple Successive Repetition of any Finishing digit,

c) a Multiple Successive Repetition of a Zero ("0") Finishing digit.

A one-touch key actuation may effect the dial-out of any multiple numberof digits in any one particular category, so that each category dial-outis accomplished by only a single key actuation instead of redundant keyactuations corresponding to the individual digits, as is the case withconventional dialing procedures.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for accommodating abbreviated telephone dialing in a telephonesystem when dialing a telephone number via a keypad or other dialingmeans, said telephone number having a number of repetitive digitsappearing sequentially in said telephone number, comprising the steps ofdialing said telephone number in sequence via digit dialing keys of saidkey pad until a first repetitive digit is reached or entered, andthereafter causing said repetitive digit to be automatically dialed agiven number of times without further actuation of said digit dialingkeys of said keypad.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a telephone keypad arrangement according tothis invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a telephone keypad arrangement utilized ina cellular system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an abbreviated dialing system according tothis invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram of a key hold down circuit according to thisinvention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an abbreviated dialing apparatusaccording to this invention.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of partial key arrangement utilized for akeyboard according to this invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an abbreviated dialing circuit for a TripleRepeat Digit (TRD).

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an abbreviated dialing circuit for a FinalFinishing Digit (FFD).

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an abbreviated dialing circuit for aFinishing Zero digit (FZ).

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an abbreviated dialing system according tothis invention using two SEND keys, applicable to cellular phones, faxmachines, etc.

FIG. 11 is a schematic mechanical diagram of a momentary two-positionpushbutton switch.

FIG. 12 is a representative diagram of a two-position rocker typeswitch.

FIG. 13 is a diagram of a keypad according to this invention having twoadjacent satellite keys for each main digit key.

FIG. 14 is a diagram of a keypad according to this invention having oneadjacent satellite key for each main digit key.

FIG. 15 is a diagram of a circular keypad according to this inventionhaving one adjacent satellite key for each main digit key.

FIG. 16 is a diagram of a keypad according to this invention having twodedicated keys.

FIG. 17 is a diagram of a keypad according to this invention having onededicated Finish Zero (FZ) key.

FIG. 18 is a diagram of a keypad according to this invention havingthree dedicated Finish Zero (FZ) keys.

FIG. 19 is a diagram of a convention telephone keypad having star ("*")and pound ("#").

FIG. 20 is a diagram of a circular keypad according to this inventionhaving one dedicated Finish Zero (FZ) key and four dedicated FinishDigit (FFD) keys.

FIG. 21 is a diagram of a circular keypad according to this inventionhaving one dedicated Finish Zero (FZ) key and one dedicated Finish Digit(FFD) key.

STATE OF THE ART COMPONENTS

Many elements and modules of the system are well known in the state ofthe art and are therefore shown in block form without delving into thedetails of their design and construction. This approach is used in orderto facilitate the clarity and simplicity of the specification and toavoid undue cluttering of the drawings.

A DC power supply is not shown, since any power supply suitable to thecomponents and well known in the state of the art could be used to powerthe various modules, components, and circuitry. Phone-line voltage couldalso be used to power the system directly, as is well known in the stateof the art.

The various digit-detect, storing, counting, and dialing modulescontained in the system are all in widespread use and are similarly wellknown in the state of the art.

DEFINITION OF TERMS USED

Valid Telephone Number

All telephone company central office systems have certain criteria andconventions for determining what digits and what number of digits mayconstitute a telephone number for making a connection from a callingparty to a called party. A Valid Telephone Number is a number inaccordance with such known conventions which has been or may beforwarded to the connected central office system in order to make such aconnection.

Store & Forward

A common method of telephone dialing wherein a string of digits istemporarily stored when entered by the user, then sequentially forwardedas a unit onto the telephone line after entry, usually at the user'srequest by means of a "SEND" or "TRANSMIT" key specific to the purpose.Some systems alternately make use of a timing algorithm wherebyforwarding occurs when a specific time period elapses with no furtherdigit or command entry having been made, and other systems alternativelyforward upon detecting the entered digit string as constituting a validphone number. Some systems also use various combinations andpermutations of all of these, as none of the methods are mutuallyexclusive. They nevertheless treat the phone number and not theindividual digits as the most discrete entity determining forwarding,and therefore constitute store & forward systems.

Direct Dial

A common method of telephone dialing wherein digits are forwarded ontothe telephone line as soon as they are entered by the user, and whereinthe individual digits are the most discrete entities in determining whento forward to the line. Some implementations of these systems may makeuse of a temporary "buffer" memory, especially impulse-dialing systemswherein dialing a digit may require a second and a half, allowing theuser to enter digits faster than the system can dial them. Such digitsare nevertheless put on the line as quickly thereafter as the system canmanage, and such systems are still Direct Dial.

Memory-system

This refers to a system wherein by means of a specific protocol, theuser may enter and transfer a number into a "permanent" storage locationfor later recall access by the user, with the location being unmodifiedby the system except by specific and selective user request.

Prescribed Actuation

A unique action by the user according to a given protocol withaccomplishes a unique predetermined task or result.

Prescribed Key

A key assigned for use in accordance with a prescribed actuation, whichby such use accomplishes a unique predetermined task or result.

TRD Triple Repeat Digit

1) Any digit recurring three times in sequence anywhere in a given phonenumber, but not inclusive of the final digit of the complete number.

2) A dialed digit to be automatically iterated three times in successionupon output to the phone line.

RFD/Repeat Finishing Digit or FFD/Final Finishing Digit

1) Any digit occurring more than once in sequence at the end of acomplete phone number.

RFZ/Repeat Finishing Zero or FZ/Finishing Zero

1) The digit "0" (zero) occurring more than once in sequence at the endof a complete phone number.

Dedicated Key

Any key with single-keystroke use(s) specific to the Invention.

Satellite Key

A key functionally associated with another specific key (typically adigit key) and performing subsidiary actions specific to that key.

Hold-Down Protocol/Press-and-Hold Protocol

A protocol whereby a user depresses a key uninterrupted for a giveninterval (or longer) in order to signify an action different from thatof a depression shorter than the interval. In order to insure a positivedelayed-release action of such a key, such a protocol may involve adelayed (or second) audible tone, audible phrase, or other type ofsystem-acknowledgement of the alternate key function.

Dual-Press Protocol/Dual-Actuation Protocol

A protocol whereby a user presses a key a second time in succession toaccomplish a result different from that of a single press.

Multi-Press Protocol/Multi-Actuation Protocol

A protocol whereby a user presses a key a predefined number of times insuccession to accomplish a result different from that of a single orother number of presses.

Auto-Dial

This phrase is used as a short form meaning "Automatic System Dial-out."

Timed (Key) Depression

Refers to a Hold-Down Key actuation as defined above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a typical telephone keypad assembly10. Essentially the telephone keypad assembly 10 contains a series ofkeys or push buttons designated as "1" to "0" and a "*" and a "#" key 15and 16. The telephone keypad 10 has a large key 17 on the right as wellas a large key on the left side. The keys 17 and 18 are designated asFFD, which stands for Finish Final Digit, as will be further explained.There is also shown a key 19 at the bottom of the keypad designated asthe Finish Zero Key.

As indicated briefly above, the object of the invention is to minimizethe amount of dialing required by a user when accessing or dialing atelephone number having repetitive digits. Of present concern arerepetitive digits which terminate or end the number. As explained above,a very common ending digit is the digit zero. Many telephone numbers endin repetitive zeros as for example four zeros, three zeros, and so on.

The user of the system having a keypad as shown in FIG. 1 will accessthe system as follows. First, let us assume that the telephone number auser desired to dial was a local number ending in all zeros, such as"887-7000". In this example there are three zeros which terminate thetelephone number. In order to dial this number according to the presentsystem, the user would access the keyboard shown in FIG. 1 and manuallydial "8877," then actuate key 19 which is the Finish with zero key. In aconventional Touch-Tone telephone system, the system will ignore anydigit in excess of the seven required for a local number or the tenrequired for a long distance number (excluding the leading access-digit"1"). Present telephone systems will attempt to connect the callingparty to the called party when the required digits are received, and onecan therefore insert any number of additional zeros, with the connectedsystem still acknowledging it as the proper number of zeros to accessthe requested number. Thus, in regard to the telephone number "887-7000", after manually dialing the final "7", one merely activates key19 to transmit five or more zeros, which will be acknowledged as onlythree additional zeros regardless of the excess, and will thus cause thesystem to connect the call to "887-7000". Hence, as one can see, if thesame telephone number ended in four zeros, one would merely again dialthe first three digits "887," then press the finish zero key 19 wherebyfive zeros would automatically be sent to the central station, whichstill ignores the additional digit and provides a connection to thecorrect telephone "887-0000". Thus, as one can see, it is not necessaryin present direct-dial systems to actually count the number of digitsdialed. This is necessary in many cellular and store & forward systemsas will be explained, but may be advantageously utilized in conventionaltelephone systems as well.

The same above-described procedure can also accommodate telephonenumbers which finish with repetitive digits other than zero. Forexample, in the telephone number "436-7777," the digit "7" is thefinishing digit repeated four times. In order to implement the dialingprocedure, the user again will dial in the digits "436," then dial thefirst "7," then activate key 18 or key 19, which is the finish finaldigit (FFD) key. The system will similarly dial four or five sevens,recognizing that the last digit accessed by the user prior to depressingthe key 17 or 18 was a "7," with the central station similarly ignoringthe excess. Thus, the user can insert repetitive digits which terminatea telephone number without redundant keypresses.

Keys 17 and 18 are located as shown on the right and left sides of thekeyboard 10 for convenience. If the finishing digit of a telephonenumber was "3", "6", or "9" it would be easier to access key 17, whileif the finishing digit were "1," "4," or "7" it would be simpler toaccess key 18. Thus, the two keys are shown and can be employed as such.It is also understood that the function of the FFD keys 17 and 18 couldalso be implemented by the "*" and "#" keys 15 and 16.

FIG. 20 illustrates another configuration, using a telephone keypad of acircular design. This design offers the advantage that since thededicated keys are located in the center of the keypad, they areconveniently accessible from all of the digit keys. In thisconfiguration the keys designated 17a and 18a are functionallyequivalent to keys 17 and 18 of FIG. 1, respectively, and the center keymarked 19a is functionally equivalent to key 19 of FIG. 1.

While the above-noted examples took advantage of the fact that thetelephone system will only recognize the first seven digits, it iscertainly understood that one can instead count the digits and fill inthe exact number of finishing digits to implement a valid telephonenumber. It will also be explained how one can implement a triple repeatdigit (TRD), which may occur elsewhere in a telephone number, and notjust as a finishing digit. This can be implemented by utilizing the sametechniques shown, as will be explained. Thus, from the above discussion,one can readily see that the telephone keypad, apart from keys 17, 18and 19, appears conventional. One can also implement the above-notedfunctions by a hold-down protocol, wherein a key is pressed and held fora short period. When the requisite period is over, the hold-down may beacknowledged by a beep or other signal indicating that the system hasaccepted the instruction for a finishing digit, finishing zero, etc. Aswill be explained, in many cellular systems, one cannot dial more thanthe requisite number of digits in accessing a telephone number, and theactual digits dialed must therefore be known and determined by thesystem.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a typical cellular (or store &forward) telephone keyboard 20. As shown, this keyboard 20 utilizes theconventional keys "1" through "0" and the "*" and "#" keys, but alsoemploys a send (SND) key, an end (END) key, a clear (CLR) key, and arecall (RCL) key. The clear and recall keys are for purposes of clearingthe display and (for example) redialing the last dialed number.

In a cellular system, after a telephone number has been dialed in, onemust depress the SEND key in order to transmit the number to thecellular network and inform the network that a connection is desired. Insuch a system, one can implement aspects of the invention merely bycounting digits and automatically filling in the proper number of digitsas necessary upon depression of the SEND key. For example, let us assumethat the user desires to dial "775-0000". In employing finishing zero inthis system, the user would dial "775" and then press the SEND key. Thesystem will recognize that a local call is being made (because of theabsence of a long-distance access digit), and further determine that theuser has only dialed three digits, meaning that four digits are missingfrom a local (7-digit) number. The system would therefore automaticallyfill in the last four digit places with "0000," and activating the SENDkey is thus analogous to activating the Finish Zero Key 19 of FIG. 1. Ina similar manner, one can implement finishing digit by utilizing apress-and-hold protocol linked to the digit keys without conflictingwith the FZ function. If the user desired to dial the telephone number"777-8666", he would dial "77786," then hold down the "6" key until thesystem acknowledged the hold-down. Again the system would determine thatonly five digits had been dialed and that two more are necessary, andthus would automatically include two additional sixes to complete avalid telephone number.

As one can ascertain, the system can as easily implement the aboveprocedures for long distance dialing. In long distance dialing the userdials a long-distance access digit, then proceeds to dial a ten digitnumber, the first three digits being the area code and the remainingseven being the telephone number. The system can recognize that a longdistance number is being dialed by determining that the first depressionwas the "1" key, and thereafter will expect ten digits, not seven. Iften digits are not received, the system will again fill in the necessarydigits based on the above techniques. For example, if the user desiredto dial the number "212-775-0000", he would proceed by first dialing a"1", then dialing the area code "212", then dialing "775", and finallyactuating the SEND key. The system would determine that a long distancenumber was being dialed after depression of the "1" key, and wouldexpect ten additional digits, but since the user only dialed six ofthem, the system would fill in the last four digit places with "0000".

In conventional direct-dial telephone systems, excess digits dialedafter the ten digits or seven digits are ignored, but if this is done ona cellular system, one will receive a message that the number dialed isnot a valid telephone number. The system captioned above avoids this,and will always dial-out the correct number of finishing digits.

These capabilities all serve to appreciably expedite the dialing processfor the many telephone numbers which end in repetitive digits.

FORMAT OUTLINE

In order to present a clearer understanding of the specification, thefollowing format will be used.

The implementation of the abbreviated dialing of the various cited digitcategories in accordance with the teachings of the invention will bedescribed in connection with various telephone instrument types andvarious types of dialers, dialing apparatii, and devices.

At the outset we will set forth, by way of example only, the variousphone and dialer types in use today, grouped in accordance with theirrespective categories.

1. SEND KEY ACTUATION DIAL-OUT/STORE & FORWARD ALGORITHM

a) Cellular Phones

b) Some Telecopier (Fax) Machines

c) Some PBX-connected Phones (in some systems presently available)

2. DIRECT DIALING PHONES & DEVICES DIALING DIGITS AS THEY ARE ENTERED

a) Key Phones

b) Residential Phones

c) Cordless Phones

d) Auto Dialers

e) Hand-Held Dialers

f) Hotel/Motel/Hospitality Phones

g) Some Telecopier (Fax) Machines

h) Some PBX-connected Phones (in some systems presently available)

SEND Key actuation dial-out systems store the digits in a temporary"buffer" memory as they are keyed-in, for later output to the phonenetwork. The output (forwarding) of the stored digits takes place uponactuation of a SEND key at the conclusion of the dialing process, hence,this is known as Store & Forward Dialing. This method of dial-out to thephone network is used in cellular phones and some f ax machines, as wellas some other types of phones and dialing systems.

We will now address the abbreviated dialing methods of the invention asthey apply to Store & Forward dialing systems.

SUCCESSIVE REPEAT FINISHING DIGIT/CELLULAR PHONES

With cellular phones, the dialing process represents an obviouspotential safety hazard to the user and his vehicle, as well as anypedestrians and vehicles around him. It is clear that any improvement orenhancement of the cellular dialing process would be advantageous andvaluable in terms of more than saved time.

In regard to this cellular-related safety factor, there have beenvarious voice-dialing schemes attempted. Generally the problems withthem have been that they are speaker-dependent and unreliable,frequently tending to mistranslate digits and dial wrong numbers. Aswill be seen, the instant invention is compatible with suchvoice-dialing systems, or may utilize the existing keypad on a cellularphone. The method of the invention provides that, depending upon thedigit make-up of a particular phone number, the dialing motions may bereduced significantly for any phone number. At present the largeproportion of cellular users are business oriented, and since businesstelephone numbers tend toward repetitive, easy-to-remember sequences,such users could save 30 to 80 percent of their dialing keystrokes witha phone employing the methods of the invention.

The principle feature of the invention is that successively repeatingdigits are keyed-in by the user only once. For example, if a phonenumber ends with the digit "5" repeating four times, i.e., "5555," inconventional dialing procedures the "5" digit key would be pressed fourtimes in succession. In comparison, in employing the method of theinvention, the user would need only to actuate the digit "5" key once,and subsequently would need only to activate the SEND key on thecellular telephone keypad. Upon actuation of the SEND key, the System ofthe invention will recognize the last digit entered ("5" in thisillustration), and further recognize that three additional digits arenecessary in order to constitute a valid telephone number. The Systemwill proceed to transmit the manually dialed digits to the cellularnetwork, and then will additionally auto dial the last digit "5" theremaining three times necessary to make the transmission into a validtelephone number.

It is now evident that by application of the instant invention's dialinglogic System to cellular dialing, the multiple keystrokes called for inthe three digit formats outlined previously;

i) Multiple Repeat Finishing Digit (MRFD);

ii) multiple Finishing Zero Digit (FZD); and

iii) Triple Repeat Digit (TRD);

are reduced to only one keystroke, enhancing the dialing procedure andadding appreciably to the dialer's driving safety when dialing acellular car phone.

In a system utilizing the SEND key for FZD and a hold-down protocol forMRFD, the user could choose to use either function; i.e., he could pressand hold the "0" key and press SEND (the MRFD protocol), or insteadsimply actuate SEND without accessing the "0" (the FZD protocol). Eitheraction would cause the System logic to auto dial as many zeroes asneeded to complete a valid telephone number.

TELECOPIER (FAX) MACHINES--Many fax machines also employ a SEND key, andprescribed key-in procedures identical to those outlined for cellularphones would be used in such instances.

It should be noted here that the afore-described prescribed dialing anddigit key actuation procedures can be applied to effect the abbreviatedkeying-in of a repetitive finishing 0, or any other digit, in reverserelative to the above illustrations. Specifically, this is to say thatinstead of using the key hold-down actuation method to effect the systemfill-in of any repetitive finishing digit and the SEND key actuation toeffect the fill-in of the additional 0's, the hold-down method wouldserve instead to fill in the necessary additional 0's, while the SENDkey actuation would serve to fill in the necessary additional finishingdigits.

Either approach is workable, and the choice would merely be a functionof which logic is desired.

At this juncture, an alternate method will be described as follows:

Whether to fill in the necessary number of digits with 0's or the lastdigit keyed-in would be determined solely by a prescribed actuation ofthe SEND key.

Specifically, a successive dual actuation of the SEND key would fill inthe missing number of digits with 0's, whereas a single actuation of theSEND key would fill in the necessary number of digits with the lastdigit keyed-in.

Alternatively, here again the system could be programmed to effect thereverse; i.e., with a single actuation of the SEND key resulting in FZD,and a dual actuation would resulting in MRFD.

Still another approach is disclosed, wherein a single SEND actuationwould effect the f ill-in of the last keyed-in digit, while a hold-downof the SEND key would serve to fill in the missing number of 0'srequired to complete a valid telephone number, or vice versa.

Still another approach that could be used is to have the SEND keyoperate normally on only a single actuation, but operating to accomplishMRFD on a dual actuation of SEND, and FZ on either a triple SEND keyactuation or (alternatively) a hold down of the SEND key. Once again,these functions could also be incorporated in the reverse manner.

CUSTOM DESIGN SEND KEY

An alternate approach to the aforementioned methods is to provide anyone of a number of custom SEND key configurations as hereafterdescribed:

FIG. 10 shows two SEND keys used; SEND Key A and SEND Key B.

FIG. 11 shows a single SEND key with two switching positions; Position Aand Position B.

There are numerous types of two position switches available and wellknown to the state of the art. One type which could be used is a rockertype dual position switch also well known to the state of the art. FIG.12 shows one example of same.

Shown is an archetypical (MOM-NONE-MOM) two-position rocker switch usedas the key for the digit "5". One example of operation under the controlof dual-press-protocol or press-and-hold-protocol circuitry and/orsoftware might be: Any Left Press dials out "5" one time (i.e., theordinary digit key function); a Right Momentary Press dials out "5" onetime, then auto-dials as many zeroes ("0") as necessary to complete avalid telephone number; two Right Momentary Presses and/or a RightPress-and-Hold dials out the digit "5" as many times as necessary tocomplete a valid telephone number.

It should be noted that there are many other types of single, dual, andmultiple position switches, all available and well known to the state ofthe art, which might be useful for implementing various aspects of theinvention. Examples would be multiple-detente switches or membrane typeswitches configured to act as multiple-function keys.

In the case of the two SEND keys method (FIG. 10), SEND Key A and SENDKey B, in order to cause the system logic to fill-in the necessarynumber of last keyed-in digits, the user actuates SEND Key A. In orderto fill-in with the necessary number of missing zeroes, the useractuates SEND Key B.

Here again, the system logic can be programmed to effect a reverseresult. This is to say that actuation of SEND Key A would fill-in withthe necessary number of missing zeroes, whereas actuation of SEND Key Bwould operate to fill-in the necessary number of the last keyed-indigit.

The operation of the two SEND keys is now described in connection withFIG. 10:

For clarity, connecting lines in FIG. 10 have been marked "O" (output),"OE" (output enable) or "OD" (output disable). Associated arrowsindicate the direction of data or signal travel.

The Digit Counter (78) counts the digits as they are keyed-in on thekeypad (71). The Digit Fill Module (72) detects a call as local orlong-distance and accordingly determines the number of digits that willconstitute a valid telephone number.

Upon actuation of SEND Key A, the Zero Generator (73) is enabled togenerate a number of zeroes, while the Last Digit Generator (75) remainsdisabled. The generated zeroes are stored in the Digit Buffer (74) likeordinary digits from the keypad, and are likewise fed back to the DigitCounter (78) which is monitored by the Digit Fill Module (72). When asufficient number of zeroes have been generated, the Digit Fill Module(72) removes the enable from the Zero Generator (73) and enables theDigit Dial (76) section for output.

Upon actuation of SEND Key B, the Last Digit Generator (75) is enabledto generate a number of copies of the last digit keyed-in, while theZero Generator (73) remains disabled. The generated digit copies arestored in the Digit Buffer (74) like ordinary digits from the keypad,and are likewise fed back to the Digit Counter (78) which is monitoredby the Digit Fill Module (72). When a sufficient number of digit copieshave been generated, the Digit Fill Module (72) removes the enable fromthe Last Digit Generator (75) and enables the Digit Dial (76) sectionfor output.

Finally, when the Digit Fill Module (72) enables the Digit Dial (76)section, the Digit Dial (76) section in turn enables the output of theentire valid telephone number from the Digit Buffer (74), accepts theinformation and passes it sequentially to the Line Interface (77) whichoutputs it to the phone line.

SUCCESSIVE REPEAT TRIPLE DIGIT

Another multiple repeat digit format which the invention addresses isTriple Repeat Digit (TRD). This is when a digit is repeated three timesin succession as part of a phone number but not necessarily at the endof the phone number. This is another digit sequence found frequently intelephone numbers. To incorporate it with FZD using the SEND key, thefollowing method could be adopted without conflict:

In the case of TRD, the user is instructed to delay the release of thedigit key for the triple repeating digit until a release tone, phrase,or other release signal is given by the System.

In the case of FZD, the user is instructed to delay the release of thedigit key for the digit immediately preceding the FZD until a releasetone, phrase or other release signal is given by the System.

Subsequently, which way the System will repeat-dial depends upon thenext key actuation. If the next actuation is the SEND key, the Systemlogic will determine that the preceding delayed key release was intendedto signal an FZD format. Accordingly, after dialing out the digits theuser had keyed-in manually, the System would auto dial enough zeroes toconstitute a valid telephone number.

If, on the other hand, the next actuation is another digit key (not theSEND key), the System logic will determine that the preceding delayedkey release was intended to signal a TRD format. Accordingly, uponactuation of the SEND key, after dialing out any digits the user hadkeyed-in manually prior to the held-down key, the System would auto dialthe digit represented by the held-down key three times instead of once,followed by any digits the user keyed-in manually subsequent to thehold-down.

FIG. 7 is a logic flow diagram showing the system logic, by way ofillustration, wherein a hold-down protocol of any given digit-key willresult in either the dial-out of the digit associated with the given keyplus RFZ, or three dial-out iterations of the digit associated with thegiven key. As can be seen in FIG. 7, if the SEND key is actuatedfollowing the hold-down protocol, the system will then auto repeat dialone or more zeroes. If, on the other hand, the user keys in anotherdigit following the hold-down protocol, the system will insteadautomatically repeat-dial the previously held-down digit three times.

Refer to FIG. 7, FIG. 4, FIG. 3:

If, following the key Hold-down actuation, the SEND Key (52) isactuated, this actuation will effect the activation of the FinishingZero Module (46). The Finishing Zero Module in turn outputs informationto module 37 of FIG. 3 and also inhibits the Last Digit Dialed Module(33) as shown in FIG. 3.

This sequence can be followed in FIG. 7 as follows:

Output (45) of Amp (43, FIG. 4) to One-Shot (66). The output of the O/Sto one gate input of the AND gate (67).

The second gate input receives an input signal from the SEND Key (52)upon its actuation. As can be seen in FIG. 7, once a digit key on Dialer(30) is actuated, the Reset line on O/S (66) resets the O/S.

If the SEND Key is not actuated following the key hold-down actuation,this will effect activation of the Triple Repeat Module output (70)causing module (37) of FIG. 3 to repeat dial the previously held-downdigit three times in succession.

This sequence can be followed in FIG. 7 as follows:

Output (45) of Amp (43, FIG. 4) to one input of the AND gate (68).

The second gate input receives an input signal from the Last DigitDialed Module (33, FIG. 3) resulting in an appropriate output signal onoutput (69) of AND gate (68), thus activating the Triple Repeat Module(70). module (46) outputs an inhibit signal disabling the Last DigitDialed Module (33, FIG. 3).

From the above described alternate operational methods, it is abundantlyclear that many other prescribed key / prescribed actuation combinationscan be readily devised to accomplish the same results.

We will now address the direct-dialing type phones and devices, which asmentioned earlier do not possess a SEND key.

DIRECT DIALING PHONES AND DEVICES

Keyphones and other types of conventional phones generally do not employa SEND key. Accordingly, a different method of executing the teachingsof the invention is required.

DELAYED RELEASE OF DIGIT KEY METHOD (DIGIT KEY HOLD-DOWN PROTOCOL)

In a direct dial device, a Digit-key hold-down protocol can be used toeffect one (but only one) of the following alternative functions,exemplified as follows:

Successive Repeat Finishing Digit (RFD)

To prompt the system to complete the total dial-out of the phone numberwith a finishing digit, i.e., the digit of the last digit-key actuated,the user holds said digit key until the system recognizes the held-downstate of the key by some means (as indicated in FIG. 4) and thereafterannounces that the key may be released; e.g., with an audible tonesignal; a synthesized or recorded voice announcement; a visual displaysignal. Thus, upon actuation of any given finishing digit key, a usermaintains the key in its actuated posture momentarily before releasingit. This delayed release will prompt the system to dial-out theparticular finishing digit as many times as may be required toconstitute a valid phone number. This is illustrated in FIG. 8 inconjunction with FIG. 3 and 4.

Repeat Finishing Zero (RFZ)

Alternatively, instead of the above hold-down protocol effecting theautomatic repeat dial of a finishing digit, the system logic may beimplemented to utilize this protocol to effect the dial-out of the digitassociated with the actuated key, followed by the repeated dialing-outof zeroes as many times as may be required to constitute a valid phonenumber. This is illustrated in FIG. 9 in conjunction with FIG. 3 and 4.

Successive Triple-Repeat Digit (TRD)

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the system logic, by way of illustration,wherein a hold-down protocol of any given digit-key will result in threedial-out iterations of the digit associated with the given key (in theabsence of a SEND key actuation, as already detailed above in connectionwith FIG. 7).

Digit Key Hold-Down Iterative Dial-Out

Another method that can be implemented to effect the dial-out of arepetitive digit is to have a hold-down protocol for the digit keyswhich generates a limited or ad infinitum dial-out of the associateddigit at successively repeating intervals, continuing until a limit orfor as long as the key is held. A display screen and/or an audible tonewould be provided to display and/or signal each digit as it is generatedby the system. If, for example, the digit "6" was to be repeated fourtimes in succession, a user would hold-down the digit-key "6," with one"6" appearing and/or being signalled normally upon the keypress, andthree more appearing at fixed intervals thereafter, each accompanied byanother display digit and/or audible tone, after the fourth of which theuser would finally release the key.

TIME INTERVAL/NO KEY ENTRIES

It is further indicated that abbreviated dialing may occur byimplementation of a timing sequence when the user dials a last digit.For example, if a user dials "7770" and then does nothing, the system,after waiting some predetermined period; 3 seconds for example, wouldassume that this is the end of the dialed number and hence would fill-inthe remaining three digits to complete the telephone number. In the casegiven, three extra zeroes would be automatically filled in to complete avalid telephone number.

This time-out sequence could also occur under more specificcircumstances; e.g., when the telephone number is to be finishedexplicitly with zeroes. The example used above, "777-0000," can be usedto illustrate this as follows:

The user would dial "777," and then do nothing. The system wouldcommence the predetermined 3 second time period, and after no key waspressed during the period would fill-in the remaining four digits withzeroes to complete a valid telephone number.

CUSTOM KEYPAD FORMATS

It is further understood that the aforementioned system operation can beimplemented using a different keypad format. Instead of utilizingmomentary single-position switches, one can utilize a dual-positionswitch such as a rocker or multiple switch. Another approach is shown inFIG. 6, wherein each key of a telephone keypad can be associated with anadjacent second key. Thus, In FIG. 6, the key 60 is associated with asmaller "satellite" key 61, with the system operating as follows: Bypressing key 60, the system will dial out the digit "2" once in theordinary fashion. If instead key 61 is pressed, the balance of theremaining digits in the incomplete phone number will be filled anddialed out as "2's". Again, in an otherwise conventional telephone, thedepression of the satellite key 61 could cause the digit "2" to bedialed out multiple times without counting the total number of digitsdialed. In a cellular or other store & forward system, the depression ofkey 61 would cause the proper number of digits to be filled in asexemplified according to the techniques shown and taught in regard toFIG. 3.

One can, of course, utilize a typical "MOM-OFF-MOM" or othertwo-position momentary rocker switch for all digit keys in a similarfashion, wherein for instance an actuation in the lefthand directionwould dial-out the digit indicated on the face of the key, while arighthand actuation would cause dialing-out of the digit either multipletimes, or as many times as necessary to complete a valid telephonenumber. This is, of course, an obvious modification of abbreviateddialing utilizing multiple keys.

Another approach that can be implemented to effect multiple digitdial-out on a single keystroke is to provide one or more dedicated keysas is detailed later in the specification.

A number of these alternate embodiments are shown in the ensuing pages,any one of which may be utilized to implement the concepts and methodsdisclosed in the invention.

Similarly, as previously indicated with regard to the SEND key, thedigit keys can also be custom configured as two-position switching keys.An example of this type is shown in FIG. 11 in connection with the SENDkey, and is equally adaptable for use as a two-position switchingdigit-key.

TWO-POSITION DIGIT-KEYS

Telephone numbers Ending with Zeroes

In this embodiment, each individual digit-key has a second position. Ifthe second position is actuated, it commands the system logic to finishall the remaining undialed digits in the phone number with zeroes. As anexample, in the case of a phone number 664-5000, the digit-key 5 wouldbe actuated into its second position, causing the system to dial thedigit 5 normally, followed by three zeroes to finish the balance of theseven digit number.

It is well to note that the user did not need to make any use of thezero digit-key. The dial-out of the finishing three zeroes was effectedsolely by a prescribed actuation of other keys (in this instance, thedigit key "5").

The automatic dial-out of the digit 0 at the end of a phone number asillustrated above would take place upon the prescribed key actuationregardless of the number of zeroes needed to complete the validtelephone number.

It is well to bear in mind that the system's automatic digit dial-out,in order to finish any particular phone number, is always comprised ofthe same digit regardless of the number of digits required to completethe valid telephone number. Specifically, in the example above, thatdigit was the digit zero dialed three times in succession by the system.

Other Repeat Finishing Digits

Another illustration of a phone number would be an actual phone numberfor toll-free placing of mail orders, i.e. 800-344-4444. Utilizing theteachings of the invention the user would not have to manually actuatethe finishing digit 4 key six times in succession. The user would merelyactuate the "4" key in a prescribed manner, prompting the system toautomatically dial-out the digit "4" six times in succession to completethe valid telephone number.

One example of a prescribed actuation technique is to have the userdepress the digit key associated with the repeated finishing digit ("4"in the example) into its second physical key position twice insuccession. This would cause the dial-out of the digit "4" the necessarysix times.

Another prescribed actuation technique that could be used is to maintainthe digit-key actuated in its second position for an interval until arelease tone is sounded by the system.

ROCKER SWITCH DIGIT-KEYS

Refer to FIG. 12.

The following prescribed key actuations would effect the dialing-out ofdigits as indicated below:

a) Momentary actuation in the lefthand direction dials-out the digitassociated with that key.

b) Momentary actuation in the righthand direction dials-out the digitassociated with that key, followed by as many automatically dialed 0'sas are necessary to complete a valid telephone number.

c) Momentary actuation in the righthand direction twice in successionwithin a prescribed interval dials out the digit associated with theactuated key as many times as is necessary to complete a valid telephonenumber.

USE of SATELLITE KEYS

Refer to FIGS. 13, 14 and 15.

FIG. 14 shows single satellite keys adjacent to each key on a standardkeypad.

Actuation of satellite key A shown in FIG. 13 effects automatic digitdial-out as follows:

i) Dial-out of the digit associated with the adjacent main key;

ii) followed by automatic dialing-out of the digit "0" as many times asis necessary to complete a valid telephone number.

The execution of the above with respect to satellite key A can beillustrated with the phone number "436-2000" and reference to FIG. 13.Upon momentary actuation of satellite key A, the following dial-outsequence is effected:

i) first the dial-out of the digit "2";

ii) then the dial-out of the digit "0" three times in automaticsuccession to complete a seven-digit valid telephone number.

Alternately, the execution of the above with respect to satellite key Bcan be illustrated with the phone number "344-4444" and reference toFIG. 13. Upon momentary actuation of satellite key B, the followingdial-out sequence is effected:

i) Automatic dial-out of the digit "4" associated with the adjacent main"4" key six times in succession to complete a seven-digit validtelephone number.

It is readily apparent that this approach (the use of satellite keysassociated with each main digit key) is applicable to all types ofphones and dialing devices, including direct dial devices such asconventional phones and keyphones, as well as store-forward devices suchas fax and cellular phones.

DEDICATED KEYS

We will now proceed to describe another method in accordance with theinvention by which a user can effect multiple digit dial-outs usingsingle keystrokes. This method utilizes one or more dedicated keys toimplement the stated objective.

FIG. 21 illustrates a configuration using a telephone keypad of acircular design. This design offers the advantage that since thededicated keys are located in the center of the keypad, they areconveniently accessible from all of the digit keys. In thisconfiguration the key designated 18B serves as the Finish Zero key(FZK), and the key designated 19B serves as the Final Finish Digit (FFD)key. These keys are functionally equivalent to keys 19 and 18respectively of FIG. 1.

TWO DEDICATED FINISHING KEYS

Refer to FIG. 16.

A single keystroke actuation of the "AA" key effects the multipledial-out of the digit "0" as many times as may be required to constitutea valid telephone number.

A single keystroke actuation of the "BB" key effects the multipledial-out of the particular digit associated with the digit key lastactuated on the standard keypad, preceding the actuation of thededicated key B', as many times as may be required to constitute a validtelephone number.

DEDICATED OVERSIZED FINISHING ZERO KEY (FZK)

Refer to FIG. 17 and 18.

Another method for treating Repeat Finishing Zeroes is to add adedicated oversized Zero Key or-i the telephone keypad in addition tothe standard Zero Key, preferably below the conventional Zero Key. Upona momentary actuation of this key, the system would auto dial as manyzeroes as required to constitute a valid telephone number.

ALTERNATIVE FINISHING ZERO KEY POSSIBILITIES

Refer to FIG. 19.

A modified approach of the additional key method that may beadvantageously utilized would be to make use of existing Function Keysalready situated on the keypad, such as (for example) the star ("*") orpound ("#") keys, "store" or "memory" function keys, or "recall" or"redial" type function keys. A primary or alternate activation of one ofthese type keys could alternatively serve the Finishing Zero or Zerofunctions of the invention.

USE OF THE ZERO KEY TO EFFECT MULTIPLE ZERO DIAL-OUT

As has already been described in connection with FIG. 4, a hold-down ordelayed-release protocol for the "0" key could alternatively implementthe Finishing Zero functions of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a typical block diagram of logicnecessary to implement the automatic dial out of a finishing digitwhether the digit is zero or any other digit. The dialer 30 shown inFIG. 3 is a conventional module that can be purchased from manydifferent sources and includes a keypad as for example shown in FIG. 1or FIG. 2. Upon dialing a number, one can distinguish between the numberbeing a local call or a long distance call by the presence or absence ofthe leading access-digit "1." Hence, module 31 is coupled to the dialerto determine whether or not a "1" has been dialed as a first digit. Ifthis is true, the system knows to expect ten more digits, and otherwiseexpects a seven digit local call. The number of digits is monitored bycounter 32, which counts the dialed digits.

Another module or register, 33, stores the last digit dialed. In thismanner, the counter 32 knows exactly the number of digits dialed whilethe last digit dialed is stored in register 33. The use of registers andcounters to determine the number of dialed digits and the last digitdialed is well known in the state of the art.

As seen in FIG. 3, there is an output from the local or long-distancedialed module 31 to the subtractor 34. The subtractor 34 operates tosubtract the number of digits required from the number of digits dialed.Hence, subtractor 34 receives information from the count dialed digitsmodule 32 and further input from the local or LD module 31. This inputfrom the local or LD module 31 tells the subtractor to subtract from 10or from 7 depending whether it is a local or long distance call. Hence,module 32 as counting the dialed digits interfaces with the subtractor34.

When the FFD switch as 17 or 18 (FIG. 1) is depressed, this is detectedby module 35 which for example may be a flip flop or a one shot. Module35 now accesses the subtractor 34, which then subtracts the actualdialed digits from the required digits. Hence, the difference which isthe amount of times the last digit is to be repeated is stored in module36 indicating the digit repeat number. The output from module 36 and thelast digit dialed module 33 are directed to a last digit finish andnumber module 37. The function of module 37 is to respond to the lastdigit dialed and the number of times that this digit has to be dialed tofinish the telephone number. This information is received respectivelyfrom the digit repeat module 36 which has stored therein the requirednumber of digits needed to complete the telephone number and the lastdigit dialed module 33. This information is applied to the module 37. Inthis manner, module 37 provides at an output the digit value as forexample 1-0 which is to be repeated and the number of times this digitis to be repeated as for example from 1-N. This information is clockedby means of a system clock 41 and sent to the dialer 30. In this manner,the dialer 30 automatically upon receipt of signals from the last digitfinish and number module 37 causes the last digit to be dialedsuccessively for the proper number of times to complete the number.

Also seen in FIG. 3 is the FZ or finish zero module 46. As shown in FIG.1, when the finish zero key 19 is pressed, this indicates that arequisite number of zeros is to be transmitted by the system. In regardto the present system operation, upon depressing of the finish zeroswitch 19, this is recognized by module 46 which inhibits the last digitdialed module 33 and indicates to module 37 that the finishing digit isto be zero. Therefore, a zero is repeated the optimum number of times inorder to complete the telephone number.

This also occurs in a cellular system when the finishing digit is "0."In the case of an incompletely keyed phone number, depression of theSEND button automatically triggers the FZ module 46, which tells thesystem to either repeat or end with the digit zero. In a similar manner,as will be shown, if the telephone number is to end in a digit otherthan zero, the system will look for a timed depression of a particularkey in order to terminate the telephone number with the proper digit asselected by the user. A timed depression of a digit key would result inan appropriate output signal on output 44 of Amp 43, as shown in FIG. 4.This output signal would be applied to module 33, thus defining the lastdigit keyed in.

Thus, as one can see from FIG. 3, in order to execute the abbreviateddialing procedure as described, the system must possess the followingcapabilities:

1. The system must monitor and count the number of manual digit entriesby the user as for example the number of digits dialed.

2. The system must know whether the user is placing a local call or along distance call.

3. The system must recognize and remember the last digit keyed in by theuser.

As seen in FIG. 3, the apparatus shown operates to do this. It is alsounderstood that there are many different ways of implementing such logicin order to accomplish the above-described results. For example, one canuse a microprocessor and program the microprocessor to follow theabove-described sequence.

Referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a simple schematic diagram of how akey hold-down is detected and how a release signal would be provided. Asseen in FIG. 4, keys 40 may represent any one of the push button keyswhich are momentary contact keys as shown on a typical keypad as forexample the digit keys "1" through "0" or the "*" and "#" keys. Upondepression of a key 40, a one shot 41 is automatically triggered. If thekey is released, the AND gate 42 will not be activated due to the factthat the key 40 has been released. If key 40 is held down by the userthen at the end of the one shot period, gate 42 is energized which sendsa high signal to amplifier 43 which activates a suitable alarm device 44 indicating or informing the consumer that he can now release thebutton. It is also understood that in the case of a telephone keypadthat if key 40 is pressed and the one shot is triggered, the depressionof any other key will also cause the one shot to be reset via its resetline. Therefore, the only time that one shot 41 will time out is whenkey 40 is held in place and no other key is accessed by the user. Thisassures that the multiple utilization of key 40 during keyboardactivation will not cause the alarm or the reset signal to appear.

Thus, by using the logic as shown in FIG. 4 in conjunction with thelogic sequence in FIG. 3, the system can determine that a key has beenheld and further determine which key it is. As indicated previously,this feature can be employed in causing the system to actuate a finishdigit mode in a cellular system implementation.

Pertinent to the circuit structure shown in FIG. 4, there will now be adiscussion concerning a triple repeat digit. As already indicated above,a triple repeat digit (TRD) is a digit which repeats in the middle orelsewhere in a telephone number. For example, take the local number"777-0000". This telephone number has the triple repeat digits "777"with a four digit zero ending. The caller, upon dialing such a number,will first access the "7" key and then hold it down until the releasetone is sounded or release is otherwise indicated by the System. In thismanner, the depression of the "7" key which is the digit dialed and thehold down of the "7" key informs the system to repeat the "7" threetimes.

The caller will then dial a single zero in a cellular phone application,for example, or hit the finish zero key 19 to indicate to the systemthat zeros are needed to finish the number. Thus the system will operateto first repeat dial the digit "7" three times and then to repeat thelast digit zero four times.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a schematic block diagram of acircuit module which can be implemented to interface with the keypadshown for example in FIGS. 1 and 2. It is understood that theabove-described procedures for implementing abbreviated dialingutilizing a conventional telephone system or a cellular system canoperate in a similar manner. As specified above, a local phone number orlong distance number must both contain a certain number of digits inorder to be valid. This is of utmost importance in a cellular system,where the correct number of digits must be entered for transmission.Thus, as seen in FIG. 5, there is a keypad 50 which interfaces directlywith access logic 51. The access logic 51 contains logic arrangementssuch as a PLA, and responds to the different systems the phoneassociated with the circuitry is installed in. Essentially, the accesslogic interfaces with the SEND key 52, which would be a typical SEND keyas employed in the cellular system. Another input of the access logicreceives information from the finish final digit key via module 53,which finish final digit keys are the keys shown in FIG. 2, and alsoreceives information from a finish zero or FZ key (19) associated withthe keypad via module 54. The access logic interfaces with the addresslogic 55 associated with a digit memory 56. The digit memory 56 has aplurality of storage locations, each of which can store a telephonenumber digit and is associated with the keypad 50. IC components readilyavailable and suitable to implementation of the logic as depicted inFIG. 5 are widely used and well known in the state of the art.

As indicated, in most instances an integral function of the systemoperation is to monitor the phone line and to count the number of digitsa phone user dials out manually, thereby evaluating the number of digitsstill remaining to be dialed out by the system in order to constitute acompleted phone number. This mode of operation is implemented especiallyin the cellular system where it is extremely important. However, asindicated above, in a normal telephone system, one does not have to dialout the correct remaining finishing digits as the telephone system willignore all digits dialed after seven or ten digits have been received.In this manner, the access logic 51, when associated with a typicaltelephone system, will dial out an arbitrary number of finishing digitswhen the finish zero key or the FFD keys are activated by the user.Thus, when a user activates the finish zero key (for example, key 19 ofFIG. 1), the access logic 51 will cause the digit memory 56 to dial azero digit (for example) 5 times, even though the telephone number mayhave less than five digits left.

In a similar manner, the access logic 51, upon receiving an indicationfrom the finish digit keys as keys 17 and 18 of FIG. 1, will cause thedigit memory to dial out the last dialed digit similarly, i.e., fivetimes, to which the telephone switching system will of course respond byignoring the excess. As one can see, this is a very simpleimplementation to accommodate abbreviated dialing in regard to finishingdigits of telephone numbers. As also seen, the logic of FIG. 5interfaces with the SEND button as for example 52. The access logic 51will operate when installed in a cellular system to respond to theactivation of the SEND switch and to thereby determine how manyremaining digits are to be filled in according to the logic. Asindicated above, activation of the SEND key will complete the dialednumber in the cellular system with a correct number of finishing zerosor a Final Finishing Digit. An example of this manner of operation isoutlined above in connection with the configuration as shown in regardto FIG 3.

As indicated, another way of finishing the telephone number with zerosor finishing the telephone number with some other digit is theutilization of a hold-down protocol. This is implemented by the useractuating a key on the keypad and holding it down until anacknowledgement is provided by the system. An example of the circuitrywhich may be employed for example is shown in FIG. 4. In any event, theaccess logic 51 responds to the above-described operation and knows whena key has been depressed for the requisite period, so the logic willinform the caller when the key can be released.

Based on this feature, the access logic 51 will know whether to finishthe dialed telephone number with repetitive zeros or to finish thedialed telephone number with another repetitive digit as selected by theuser. In the same manner, the holding down of a digit key and therecognition of the hold down of a digit key can cause the access logic51 to generate three consecutive digits which three digits are notfinishing digits. Repetitive digits occurring within telephone numberscan be repeated by the user by holding down the digit key to berepeated. Accordingly, one may employ this method to activate a triplerepeat digit which is a digit which repeats successively three times ina telephone number. Thus, by holding down the digit key indicative ofthe triple digit when the digit first appears, one will now be assuredthat digit will be repeated three times. While a triple repeat digit ispreferred, one will understand that this could be alternativelyimplemented for digits repeating any predetermined number of times.

VOICE RECOGNITION APPLICATIONS

Voice recognition can be very suitably applied in implementing theconcepts of the invention, namely to effect multiple digit dial-out byonly a single word or syllable actuation otherwise in accordance withthe various embodiments of the invention as already illustrated. Themethod of the invention is fully suited to use in conjunction withvoice-response dialing systems well known to the state of the art. Instore & forward implementations of these systems, a user enters thedigits of the phone number to be dialed verbally by annunciating eachindividual digit, and upon completion annunciates a further "commandword" such as "Send" or "Dial," prompting the voice-response system todial the phone number.

In the case of a phone number having a Multiple Repeat Finishing Digit,for example, "675-5555," the user must redundantly annunciate the word"Five" five times in succession.

Further complicating this is the fact that voice-response dialingsystems as currently available often exhibit inherent problems ofmis-recognition. If a user's pronunciation or annunciation of aninstruction is not precise (for example, from the nasality of a stuffynose), or in atmospheres with a high or changing level of ambient noise(for a cellular example, from the auto air-conditioner being on or froma noisy truck passing by), the voice-response system may misinterpretdigits, and if not corrected will dial the wrong number.

These factors tend to make the current state of voice-dialing difficultand tedious, and it follows that any reduction in the totalannunciations necessary to complete and dial a number would be markedlybeneficial and would represent a substantial enhancement to the state ofthe art. The method of the instant invention contemplates and providesthe wherewith to accomplish such reduction in a manner fully analogousto and functionally compatible with the invention as implemented with akeypad.

The user would annunciate a prescribed (or preprogrammed) "command word"associated with the desired function of the invention, which would besubstantially concurrent with the appropriate key actuation or keypadprotocol. To wit, such commands certainly might be conceptualized as"verbal keystrokes."

A simplified example of a set of "command words" and their analogousfunctions that might embody this on a cellular phone might be:

"Zero" through "Nine": Analogous to momentarily pressing the ordinarydigit of the same name.

"Send": Analogous to pressing the SEND key.

"Finish": Analogous to the key or keypad protocol producing a send withRFD.

"Zip": Analogous to the key or keypad protocol producing a send withRFZ.

"Repeat": Analogous to the key or keypad protocol producing TRD.

Using such a construct, the number "777-0000," for instance, could bedialed aloud according to the invention by speaking the sentence:"Seven, Repeat, Zip." Similarly, the number "675-5555" could be dialedaloud by speaking the sentence: "Six, Seven, Five, Finish," and thenumber "333-4441" could be dialed aloud by speaking the sentence:"Three, Repeat, Four, Repeat, One, Send."

Alternatively (and again completely analogous to keypad protocolsdiscussed previously), it would also be straightforward enough toeliminate either "Zip" or "Finish" from the above command-set by having"Send" perform the function whenever the digits previously entered donot form a complete telephone number.

Likewise, since it is possible for practically any key or protocol to beduplicated or replaced by a voice command, it should also be noted thatmany sorts of mixed voice/keypad systems could be created, includingcomplete systems wherein each key and keypad protocol would possess avoice analog performing the identical function, or "hybridized" systemswherein some functions might be voice-only, some might be keypad-only,and/or some might be both. The principle is the same; that for suchpurposes a keystroke is a keystroke, whether it is performed verbally,mechanically, or otherwise.

It should of course be understood that the command word set cited aboveis illustrative only, and should not be construed as complete orlimiting in any way. Any other words or phrases might as easily beprogrammed or pre-programmed into a voice-recognizing device accordingto the invention, thereby effecting verbally controlled operations thatare functionally analogous to the invention as implemented with akeypad.

It is abundantly evident from all of the above that the inclusion of themethod of the instant invention as part of voice-response dialingsystems would constitute a welcome advancement and a valuableimprovement to the state of the art of voice-recognition dialing. Suchan improvement would be especially beneficial in the cellular/mobileenvironment, where, in addition to the convenience benefits there arevehicular safety considerations. It is of course understood that inaddition to the cellular application, the benefits described are as wellrelevant to voice-response dialing systems used in conjunction withtelephones and dialers of any other kind.

MEMORY-SYSTEM PROGRAMMING APPLICATIONS

Like voice dialing, another area where the concepts of the invention canbe very suitably applied is in the programming of traditional "memory"keys, namely by effecting multiple digit programming entry by only asingle keystroke actuation otherwise in accordance with the variousembodiments of the invention as already illustrated. Such memory-systemstypically require the entry of a telephone number via some sort of"memory-storage" protocol that associates the entered number with one ormore dedicated storage locations to be accessed later through a separate"memory-recall" protocol. The method of the invention is fully suited touse in conjunction with any system that requires entry of a telephonenumber for purposes of storage for later recall and use, since suchnumber-entry for purposes of storage is not fundamentally different fromnumber-entry for purposes of dialing. There is, in fact, substantialanalogy between the way most of these systems work and the way a store &forward dialing system works; i.e., in a memory-system one enters thenumber into a temporary "buffer" memory and forwards it into arecallable "permanent" memory using some sort of "MEMORY" key orprotocol, whereas in a store & forward dialing system one similarlyenters the number into a temporary "buffer" memory and forwards it tothe telephone line using some sort of "SEND" key or protocol. Thedistinction between temporary "buffer" memories and recallable"permanent" memories is a matter of function and not hardware, and canlargely be defined according to whether the memory in question isexplicitly intended for programming and use by the user rather than thesystem; i.e., in the above examples the contents of a store & forward"buffer" are changed by the system whenever a new phone number isdialed, making its use general to the system and primarily transparentto the user, who has no option but to enter data into the system throughit and no option to preserve its contents once new data has beenentered. In contrast, in a "permanent" memory the contents are changedonly by a specific user protocol and are never altered by the systemexcept when specifically and selectively requested by the user.

For an example, let us assume a ten location memory-system (0-9) using asingle dedicated "MEMORY" key and using the protocol: "MEMORY" <memorynumber 0-9><telephone number> "MEMORY" for storing numbers. To store thenumber "777-5555" into memory location 4, one would enter the sequence:"MEMORY" "4" "7775555" "MEMORY," with each individual digit beingentered singly. Under the teachings of the invention as previouslyillustrated, one might instead postulate the same device additionallyusing a digit-key hold-down protocol for accomplishing TRD and adedicated "RFD" key for repeat finishing digits, so one might insteadenter the sequence: "MEMORY" "4" "7" <and hold> "5" "RFD" "MEMORY,"saving four (36%) of the original eleven keys.

The dedicated RFD key in the above example could as easily function toproduce RFZ, and likewise the "MEMORY" key in such an application couldfunction analogously to the "SEND" key in a store & forward embodiment,doing either RFD or RFZ and filling in any missing digits automatically.The example above, assuming the "MEMORY" key instead of a dedicated keywas serving to effect RFD, would then become: "MEMORY" "4" "7" <andhold> "5" "MEMORY," saving one extra keypress.

Note also that in software systems where key-codes rather than wholedigits are used to store phone numbers in memory, this method is highlyRAM-conservative and might be employed usefully on a software level inRAM-critical applications.

In any event, one can readily see that any device incorporating memorystorage for dialing purposes which relies upon entry of memory numbersin a standard dialing format could also incorporate the teachings of theinvention for purposes of memory entry.

OTHER APPLICATIONS INCLUDING EXTERNAL CALL-HANDLING EQUIPMENT

This patent addresses and is directed to all forms of telephone dialingmeans and equipment, as well as keypads incorporated in various forms ina multitude of telephone-associated equipment.

The following specifics are not intended to be limiting, but only serveto cite specific examples of various telephone and telephone-associatedequipment which are presently in widespread use and which incorporatesome telephone dialing means. Such equipment includes various telephonedialers, telephone instruments and subsets, including, for example,cordless and portable telephones, cellular and mobile telephones, f axmachines, and public pay-phones.

It should be noted here that the teachings of the invention, in whole orin part, could be easily effected by various hardware and software meanson many types of call-handling equipment external to the actualtelephone or device being used to place the call; e.g. KSU'S, PBX'S, oreven in telephone carrier central-office systems. This equipment couldbe programmed with various protocols to respond to User Actuations ofthe various Illustrated Keys; e.g., Digit Keys, Dedicated Keys, and/orSEND Keys, to effect automatic multiple-digit dial-out as required forthe completion of a valid telephone number.

It should also be mentioned that all of the various configurations,embodiments, and methods of the invention described are, as well,contemplated to be used with and incorporated into Stand-Alone Dialersand Dialer/Keypads of all types, and likewise to be used with andincorporated into various telephone gear of all kinds, whether it becellular phones, mobile phones, key phones, etc., to cite some likelyexamples. It is of course strictly understood that the claims appendedhereto will cover the intent and scope of the present invention, but itis clearly indicated that all of the claims apply as well to faxmachines, which are of course connected to telephone lines and havemeans for dialing telephone numbers, and which incorporate a "SEND" typekey feature as part of a "store & forward" dialing format. Hence, theabbreviated dialing apparatus as described is applicable to telecopiermachines which are in widespread use and which would also receive greatadvantages from the use of the present invention.

Finally, note that in non-store/forward applications the invention wouldbe of substantial benefit to the telephone companies themselves, sinceany device that shortens the duration of an average dialing sequencewill result in less tie-up time for the telco's very expensive capitalequipment. Even a small savings per call could result in billions ofseconds of equipment up-time saved annually.

It can be readily appreciated that there are many ways of implementingthe above-described operations and functions of the invention, includingthe implementation of triple-repeat digits, a predetermined number ofdigits (finishing or otherwise), or the exact number of finishing digitsnecessary to form valid telephone numbers. With suitable structure,there is no limit on how the invention can be implemented or on thehardware and/or software permutations that could be used to implementit. For example, as indicated earlier, one can employ a voice-responsivesystem whereby a "keyword" becomes completely analogous to a "keystroke"or a "keypad protocol" for effecting various types of abbreviateddialing according to the invention.

One skilled in the art will immediately understand that there are many,probably thousands, of ways in which the teachings of this inventioncould be implemented in various devices with various aims. All such waysare deemed to be within the spirit and scope of the claims appended tothis specification.

I claim:
 1. A method for accommodating abbreviated telephone dialing ina dialing system when dialing a telephone number via a keypad, andtelephone number having a number of repetitive digits appearingsequentially in said telephone number, comprising the steps of:dialingsaid telephone number in sequence via the digit dialing keys of saidkeypad until the digit immediately preceding the first one of saidrepetitive digits is keyed-in, a prescribed further actuation of saidkeypad, said repetitive digit being automatically dialed a number oftimes without further actuation of said keypad, said prescribed furtheractuation consisting of actuation of a prescribed key, said prescribedkey being a satellite key associated with the digit dialing key for saidrepetitive digit, and wherein said prescribed further actuation iscomprised of actuation of said satellite key.
 2. A method foraccommodating abbreviated telephone dialing in a dialing system whendialing a telephone number via a keypad, said telephone number having anumber of repetitive digits appearing sequentially in said telephonenumber, comprising the steps of:dialing said telephone number insequence via the digit dialing keys of said key pad until the first oneof said repetitive digits is keyed-in, a prescribed further actuation ofsaid keypad, said repetitive digit being automatically dialed a numberof times without further actuation of said keypad, said prescribedfurther actuation consisting of actuation of a prescribed key, saidprescribed key being a satellite key associated with the digit dialingkey for said keyed-in digit, and wherein said prescribed furtheractuation is comprised of actuation of said satellite key.
 3. Apparatusfor enabling abbreviated telephone dialing in a dialing system whendialing a telephone number having a repetitive finishing digit via akeypad, said keypad including a prescribed key, the apparatuscomprising:first keypad responsive means operative to detect the dialingof a long distance or local telephone number and output such firstinformation, second keypad responsive means to count the digits dialedand to output such second information, dialing means responsive to saidfirst and second informations and said prescribed key to cause thecompletion of said telephone number as a valid telephone number byrepetition of said finishing digit.
 4. The apparatus according to claim3, wherein said repetitive digit is a zero.
 5. The apparatus accordingto claim 3, further including keypad responsive means operative to storethe last digit dialed and output such information to enable said dialingmeans to complete said telephone number with said last digit.
 6. Theapparatus according to claim 3, wherein said dialing system is at leastpart of a store & forward system and said prescribed key is the SENDkey.
 7. In a voice responsive dialing system including voice responsivemeans and further including digit dialing means said responsive meansbeing responsive to at least vocal digit and select command wordentries, vocal actuation of said responsive means effecting the dial outof any given entered digit, a method for accommodating abbreviateddialing when dialing a number, said number having a number of repetitivedigits appearing sequentially in said number, comprising the stepsof:vocally entering said number in sequence via the said responsivemeans until the first one of said repetitive digits is entered, aprescribed further vocal actuation of said responsive means, saidrepetitive digit being automatically dialed a number of times withoutfurther actuation of said responsive means, said prescribed furtheractuation consisting of an annunciation of a prescribed command word orwords.
 8. In a voice responsive dialing system in accordance with claim7, wherein said system is operatively associated with a cellularcommunication system.
 9. In a voice responsive dialing system inaccordance with claim 7, wherein said system is operatively associatedwith a fax machine.
 10. In a voice responsive dialing system inaccordance with claim 7, wherein said system is operatively associatedwith a private branch exchange telephone system.
 11. In a voiceresponsive dialing system in accordance with claim 7, wherein saidsystem is operatively associated with a phone company central exchangeswitching system.
 12. In a voice responsive dialing system in accordancewith claim 7, wherein said system is operatively associated with amobile phone system.